A Quick Alert & Correction
PLUS UK NEWS
As of this writing (Sunday morning), Hurricane Douglas is churning northeast of Maui. It is forecast to possibly hit or sideswipe Oahu (where I live) starting Sunday afternoon/evening and into Monday. It might also stay northeast and not make landfall in which case we will dodge the bullet (as the Big Island just did). We just don’t know. As of now it remains a Category 1 hurricane and can be expected to bring damaging winds, torrential rain, and storm surge. I am not in a shoreline or flood zone, by the way, although I do live in an area prone to high winds. So we shall see.
I am specifically writing to remind you all that I have two events (Monday and Tuesday) this coming week (see below). If I have power, I’ll be there. If I don’t, I won’t.
Regardless, I hope you will tune in to see Alaya Dawn Johnson (July 27) and Mary Robinette Kowal (July 28), and you can bet I hope to be there as well with minimal effects from the passing storm.
MONDAY 27 JULY with Alaya Dawn Johnson at Porter Square Books
(PLEASE NOTE CORRECTED TIMES FROM LAST NEWSLETTER)
7 pm ET/ 6 pm CT / 4 pm PT / 1 pm HT / 9 Sydney / 7 am Manila / midnight London
In Conversation with the award winning and dazzling Alaya Dawn Johnson. Her new novel is TROUBLE THE SAINTS, a timely and unsettling novel, set against the darkly glamorous backdrop of New York City, where an assassin falls in love and tries to change her fate at the dawn of World War II.
A Virtual Event with Porter Square Books (Cambridge, MA)
Here’s the event link at the bookstore’s site.
Register on Crowdcast here.
TUESDAY 28 JULY with Mary Robinette Kowal at Old Firehouse Books
9 pm ET / 7 pm MT / 6 pm PT / 3 pm HT / 11 am Sydney / 9 am Manila / 2 am London
In Conversation with Mary Robinette Kowal, the Hugo-award winning author of the Lady Astronaut series. Her new release is the third Lady Astronaut novel, THE RELENTLESS MOON.
Here is an Eventbrite link to register.
Next month!
FRIDAY AUGUST 14 with Kit Rocha at Powells Books
8 pm ET / 7 pm CT / 5 pm PT / 2 pm HT / 10 am Sydney / 8 am Manila / 1 am London
In Conversation with Kit Rocha’s deviously clever twin heads. Their new series starter DEAL WITH THE DEVIL is near future post-collapse sf adventure, coming July 28. We have agreed to discuss, among other things, how problematic depictions of sex and consent in work written 50 years ago (e.g. Anne McCaffrey) might still have been an important part of moving the field forward in opening up representations of women and desire. And maybe we’ll talk about writing ensemble casts. And answer questions!
A Virtual Zoom Event with Powells Books (Portland OR).
Register here (free!).
If you missed my first two events you can WATCH THEM (both one hour):
with N.K. Jemisin at Mysterious Galaxy
with Ken Liu at Astoria Bookshop
For people interested in getting a signed first edition of UNCONQUERABLE SUN, my UK publisher Head of Zeus will be offering signed editions. This will be a very limited print run.
My next newsletter will have a link for that as well as (I hope) a cover reveal for the UK edition.
For those who have asked about audiobook availability in the UK (at the moment only the Court of Fives trilogy audiobook can be purchased in the UK), I can report that efforts are proceeding on that front. The audiobooks for the Spiritwalker Trilogy (Cold Magic, Cold Fire, Cold Steel), Black Wolves, and King’s Dragon (and forthcoming Prince of Dogs and The Burning Stone) should be available in the not too distant future to UK/Commonwealth region readers. Unconquerable Sun’s audiobook version should be published at the same time as the print and e-books (Oct 1).
If you’ve made it this far (probably scrolling down for the Finn photo) I wanted to mention that reviews and ratings (on any platform) and word of mouth are crucial for new books to get visibility.
Anyone who has bought and read my books has my hugest thanks. That’s obviously the main thing. And if you aren’t interested in posting a rating or review online, there is no obligation to do so.
That being said, I’d be vastly appreciative of reviews/ratings on whatever platform.
They create an important boost especially for midlist (not bestseller level) novels like my work, because new readers can’t find it if they don’t know it exists. If you have already reviewed Unconquerable Sun, THANK YOU.
Finn and I took our usual early morning walk. A lot of leading rain bands (more mist than rain) from the outermost region of the hurricane, so Finn’s very fine, light hair got wet enough that you can see his skin beneath. He is not a dog meant for cold weather since he basically has no insulation.
As always, I can’t do this without you.
Thank you for reading!
Kate Elliott